A slug of dark crimson trailed down to the mucky off-white vest, which clung to the outline of my ribs. The blood seeped into the fabric, a brilliant red polka dot, it's perimeter growing as the slow course continued. I placed the hard jagged scab on the top of my hand, assessing the fruits of my labour. I'd worked at this for ages, picking bit by bit around the circumference to make sure it didn't splinter apart. The wound would have only needed maybe a few more days to fully heal and the glob of platelets would have shed itself, but there was something deeply satisfying in plucking it from my skin, halting the natural healing. I pressed the fabric of my vest against the open wound, still oozing sticky yellow gunge and near black blood. I only wanted to stem the bleeding so I could see what it looked like; how deep it was, whether the outline of the hole perfectly matched the congealed skin lid I'd prized from it. I wiped away the blood and detached my vest, surveying the fleshy hole. It had mostly healed, so only a shallow pink crater remained. I could see the ridges of skin still yet to regenerate, which for whatever reason I found fascinating.

Footsteps came from the corridor outside, a heaviness of step I could only imagine was Ant or Sonny. I'd noticed Jase was barely audible when he approached, despite his tall imposing physique he moved in silence. My body seized involuntarily, every muscle contracting, every hair standing on end in alert. This might be it. I wasn't ready. I was so exhausted my mind had begun playing tricks on me. Strange shadows danced in the light, dark shapes darted from side to side always avoiding direct contact. At one point my fingers were terrifyingly long, at another an unknown object suddenly descended rapidly from the ceiling just above my head. I knew it was all in my head. I knew there was no physical realness to any of it, yet it was undeniably true in the moment. These weren't just thoughts, it was things I could actually see in front of me. After every ten minute doze on the concrete floor I woke feeling far worse than before. Nobody was stopping me from sleeping, nobody could have, I was drained. But it felt like only seconds after my eyes finally closed that I jolted awake again, some strange, frightening presence alerting me to consciousness.

Ant stepped through the opening door, his mouth pressed in a hard line. The edges of his lips curled ever so slightly as he attempted a smile, whatever that was worth. I sat up to attention, concealing my shredded wrist against the wall.

"Is it time?" I meant to speak assertively but my voice came out as a fearful whisper.

"Very soon," Ant covered his mouth with his fingers and stroked his beard pensively. "I came first to... prepare you for what will happen."

"Go on," I muttered.

"Please... I'm imploring you, if you know anything else then say it now before you're recorded. Once it starts, you won't be able to withhold anything."

As soon as Ant began his plea tears pricked in the corners of my eyes. How dare he. How many times had I said it? There was nothing, nothing else. His warning suddenly had me teetering on the brink of something. A huge lump formed in my throat that I couldn't swallow down.

"Paige-" Ant pressed.

A loud sob erupted from my mouth before I could stop it, a thousand undiscernible thoughts swarming my head.

"I'm so tired," I wailed hoarsely. My mental shield had dissolved, rational thought evaporated until my mind was left with nothing but whimpering desperation. "Please- please make this all end I can't do it anymore. I can't do all that again, please finish it now, please," I begged. I just wanted to sleep. I wanted to have complete pure nothingness, no worry, no pain, no fear. Just to feel the cool embrace of velvety black emptiness all over me until I didn't feel anything at all. I wouldn't even have to be anymore. Just... peace.

*

"Please-"

Ant glared at Paige with the ferocity of a hundred mixed emotions, but as always his body clung to anger. Was this really what she was asking? She'd spent less than a day in this cell room, and had survived far worse. Why did she have to break now? He knew he was being callous, but there couldn't have been a worse time.

"Paige, Paige!" Ant hollered, his voice echoing through the concrete room, Paige's tearstained eyes focusing on his piercing glare. "You listen to me, okay? We are close to the end," Ant stated every word slowly and deliberately, trying not to snarl with frustration. "We are so close. Do not fucking break now. After everything you've been through, this is the final hurdle. It will be fucking shit. I came here to tell you that," he ignored her stammering whimpers. "It will be shit. But it won't take long. And it won't be like it was before, okay? You will endure it. You can endure it. You won't die. They will not kill you. And after that, it's done and I will take you home." Ant wanted to add that he'd shoot her himself if he felt it necessary. He'd rather that than let the CIA agents get their hands on her out here. He didn't even think Jase would stand in his way on that one.

"Paige? Repeat it to me, okay? I will not die- say it- I will not die," Ant ordered, crouching in front of her now, as he had just done in front of another prisoner who's bile still stained his boots less than ten minutes ago. Paige squeezed her eyes shut to rid them of the swells of tears.

"I will not die," she whispered limply.

"I'm going home," Ant prompted again.

"I'm going home," Paige's breathing hitched.

"I will endure what comes."

"I will endure-" three errant tears streamed from her misty blue eyes. "-Endure what comes."

"Good," Ant affirmed, and stood straight. He wished he didn't have to be like this. He wished he could have promised to make it all better, but he had no control in the matter. "I'll come back soon, ok? Try to rest."

Ant didn't look back as he pulled the door shut behind himself. If only he hadn't killed al-Raheem. If there was ever a time he needed to drive his fists into something, it was now. He cleared his head with a heavy breath and returned to the courtyard.

Jase and Sonny stood in the starry twilight, the huge moon illuminating the bustle of action from the last cell block door and the shack. Ant realised this was a cue to play his part of zero culpability.

"What happened?" He called, striding over with an ease he certainly didn't feel.

"We lost our HVP," Sonny spat on the dirt. High Value, prisoner or not, was hardly how he would have described Bazish al-Raheem.

"That was careless of you," Ant watched as two men heaved his still partially swollen body to the metal door of the shack. Jase stepped closer towards him, looking up to the sky.

"She ready?" He asked in a low voice. Ant sighed and choked back the urge to laugh, smiling and shaking his head in disbelief instead.

"No," he scoffed. "Maybe that means yes, maybe it will look better on camera. She's a fucking wreck." Jase looked surprised.

"Really? She's been so strong mentally-"

"She wanted me to kill her," Ant said the words with a lilt of humour. "Less out of being actually suicidal and more out of just... wanting it all to fucking stop. She's not sleeping, I think she's just got nothing keeping her going."

Jase nodded in understanding. What was there to say? It didn't change anything. He was hardly going to turn around and cry 'Oh well- we'll leave it then.' No, the best thing he could do was to get it over and done with and finally hand Paige her freedom.

"I need to-" Jase cleared his throat. "Need to speak to HQ, let them know al-Raheem's gone and that we're about to start." Ant nodded in response, suddenly overwhelmingly exhausted himself.

Jase took several long strides away from the commotion behind him before he switched his radio to the appropriate channel. He turned the corner of the main residential building and rested himself against the wall, sliding his back down the length of it until he squatted on the ground.

"HQ are you receiving, over," He said wearily into the box.

"Roger Alpha1, what's your status?"

"Our primary asset's down, we lost al-Raheem. Died during interrogation. We worked him hard I don't think he had anything left."

"Copy that Alpha1, what is your medic's assessment?"

"Consistent with the report from interrogation, he's typing up his assessment and will have it sent to you with evidence ASAP. Let us know what you want us to do with the body."

"What's the status of the POI?"

"Conditioning phase and harshing is complete, significantly sleep deprived... Listen it's a controversial decision I know, but she's not capable of tolerating the standard measures-"

"I'm going to stop you there Alpha1, we need a thorough assessment of her knowledge or other operatives will be forced to attend."

"You'll have a thorough determination, I'm going to administer Hyocine Pentothal to the prisoner in increments, beginning at 3cc to no higher than 6. I believe it will be much more effective to this captive than standard enhanced techniques," Jase studied the map of stars overhead, if he were anywhere else it would be awe inspiring. It felt like cruel irony of the world to see a hint of beauty amid the sordid game he was playing.

"Affirmative Alpha1, proceed with a medic on standby. Full video evidence to be sent on completion, do you copy?"

"Roger that." Jase sighed with relief as he switched his comms back to silent. At least they'd accepted his terms and were now more likely to approve his judgement. All he needed to do now was deliver them an Oscar worthy performance on camera. As Jase mentally checked off HQ contact from his to-do list, he realised what was next. He'd put this off for as long as he possibly could, always focusing on the next task and then the task after that, until... now it was time. Jase rubbed his temples with rigid thumbs, desperately tired and dreading what lay ahead. He didn't want to put that mask on, he hated having to be that person. Needs must, he reminded himself. This was for the best, he knew that. He was saving her from much worse.

Jase stretched upright and rolled his neck. He just needed a moment, two moments, to clear his head and get in the right frame of mind. He forced his legs around the corner of the building, ignoring the heavy chatter in the courtyard and headed for the bathroom.

The light buzzed on with a click as Jase pulled the cord, brown with years of grime and dirt. A large moth tapped and hummed against the ceiling fixture, soft zings emitting with every contact its body made with the light. Jase coaxed the tap open, leaving the first splutters to trail down the plughole and then filled his cupped hands with water. He splashed it over his face and massaged his skin with his fingertips, forcing himself to acknowledge the sensation. He spat softly into the sink, resting the weight of his body against the basin, supported by his arms. Beads of water dripped from the tip of his nose, and he counted them. One, two... three... four... Jase looked up to the cracked and streaked mirror. His under-eyes were purple, but it was definitely him. He watched his own reflection as he disassociated, forcing his brain to separate emotion. He exhaled with a loud sniff, nostrils flaring, and set his features with determination. He could do this. He would do this, and he would do it properly. In an hour, nobody would be able to question Paige's motives, and it could all be put to rest.